What The News Doesn't Say
by HiddenInTheTardis
Summary: Ever get the feeling that the media doesn't tell you the whole story? Ten/Rose
1. Dragon's Achilles'

_Hellooooo lovely readers! I just couldn't stay away! I'm still writing my sci-fi story on FictionPress, but I miss you all so much I thought I have to start a new Doctor Who story (lol). So here it is, hope you enjoy xx_

What The News Doesn't Say

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Chapter 1: Dragon's Achilles'

**Breaking News:**** The streets of London were ransacked last night by a fleet of flying reptiles. Locals were terrified and forced to retreat to their homes as several accounts of 'dragons' were reported to the police and other authorities. Onlookers say the creatures were organised and intelligent. Reports have also been received about two unnamed persons who seemed to be at the centre of the chaos. Their presence at the scene is not officially linked to the mysterious occurrence, or the rather unusual method of the reptiles' departure.**

"Doctor! Let it go!"

"Its got my screwdriver!"

"I said let it go!"

"But Rose!"

"Doctor, it's gonna kill you!"

The Doctor reluctantly let go of the dragon's neck, and it flew off with an ear-piercing screech, taking the sonic screwdriver with it. The Doctor stomped at the ground in frustration. "What do you suppose we do now?"

Rose gaped at him. "I saved your life; _you _think of the next idea!"

The Doctor looked around. A myriad of the winged creatures were destroying the streets of London. The screaming from unfortunate onlookers had long died down as people fled the scene. And the creatures were taking over. He had no way to stop them, no way to distract them...

Or did he?

The Doctor's eyes widened, and a smile spread across is face as he saw the contents of a destroyed shop across the street. Rose followed his gaze, and looked back at him nervously. "No, no don't you dare!"

Too late; the Doctor was running as fast as he could towards the shop, and climbed carefully through the broken window. He emerged a few moments later with five strings of sausages and a large ham.

Rose gaped at him as he started draping the sausages over his shoulders and waving the ham in the air.

"What are you-"

"TARDIS, now!"

They both began pelting down the street, towards the comforting familiarity and unmistakable presence of the lovely blue box. Rose glared at the Doctor as he started yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Here you go, here, over here, free lunch, come on, come on!!!"

"Doctor, you've lost your mind. Stop it, put the meat down!"

He ignored her comment. "When you get it back, setting 125 towards the TARDIS."

"What d'you mean?"

She had no time to ask any more questions. They'd reached the TARDIS, but they'd also caught the attention of the dragons. They had turned their attention to the running free meal, and had started to chase them. The Doctor ordered Rose to stay behind him as he ran around in circles in front of the TARDIS. She thought he was barking. Of all his outrageous ideas, this one had to be the most insane of the lot.

The dragons drew closer, lead by the annoying beast that had stolen the sonic screwdriver. As it swooped closer, the Doctor began to sweat. He only had one shot at this...

The dragon opened its immense jaws ready to wrap them around the meat-drenched Doctor...

And dropped the screwdriver. Right into the Doctor's hand. He at once threw it to Rose, who fumbled around with the controls in a panic.

"Open the TARDIS door. Setting 125! Hurry!"

The Doctor dropped to the floor with his hands over his head as the monster swooped over him, towards Rose.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

The ear-piercing sound of the screwdriver surrounded them, and caught the attention of the cloud of flying predators. They immediately changed course with a mournful cry, and flew straight into the TARDIS, missing Rose by a hair's width. Dragon after dragon flew into the ship, a seeming impossibility from the outside. When the last one entered the ship, the door closed behind them, and Rose stopped the screwdriver, dropping to her knees and trying to catch her breath.

The Doctor discarded the meat and headed over to her, a big grin on his face. He sat down on the muddy ground next to her.

"Well done," he said breathlessly.

"Thanks," Rose replied. "But if you _ever _do anything like that again, _I'll_ kill you before anything else does!"  
He just grinned charmingly, and Rose pushed him playfully. "What do we do with them now? In case you haven't notice, they've now got run of the TARDIS."

The Doctor shook his head. "The ol' girl'll store them away somewhere til we can get them back to Persion. I'm sure they'll be glad to have them back. They _are _an endangered species after all."

Rose just glared at him.

----

_So glad to be back! xx_


	2. Undergound

_Hello again. A great big thank you for the lovely reviews for chapter one xx_

Chapter 2: Underground

**Breaking News:**** Last night saw another strange occurrence for the city of London. For the best part of the evening, the entire city's water supply was mysteriously diverted. The reason and destination of the diversion is still unknown, although we have been assured that Torchwood are currently investigating. The water supply was abruptly restored at around midnight with no explanation.**

Rose shivered. It was the last place she wanted to be. She looked up at the Doctor, who was striding along beside her, his usually happy face now set and determined. The only light in the dingy tunnel was the piercing blue beam from the sonic screwdriver. Rose gripped the Doctor's hand for comfort, and felt him squeeze her fingers reassuringly, his gaze remaining unwavering. It was a little terrifying.

"Stop," the Doctor whispered. The tone of his voice sent shivers down Rose's spine. He sounded... dangerous. And it frightened her.

"What is it, Doctor?"

"Just... just... shh," he replied quietly.

He gripped her hand tighter, and slowly sneaked forward into the darkness. Rose tiptoed behind him, her mind whirring as to what could have ruffled his feathers so much. The Doctor peered into the darkness, his breath visibly hitching in his throat.

Suddenly, Rose noticed the tiniest flicker of movement in the blue light. She froze. But the Doctor was intrigued.

"Hello, there," he whispered in a sing-song voice.

Rose couldn't see anything any more, but the Doctor's keen eyes had obviously fixed on something just in front of them.

"What is it?" she hissed.

"I... have no idea."

Rose started at him. That was such a rare thing to hear!

The Doctor took an obviously tentative step forward, and lowered the sonic screwdriver a little. His eyes widened.

Rose peered round his shoulder, and almost gasped at the sight. It was a tiny little bundle of fur, about the size of a chihuahua, with big blue eyes and no other recognisable features. They stepped closer, kneeling down to get a closer look at it.

"Hello, little guy," the Doctor cooed. He held out his hand for the tiny creature. And it shuffled away nervously, a hollow, threatening noise emanating from somewhere inside the fur. Rose pulled on the Doctor's sleeve cautiously.

"Um... I don't think you should do that, Doctor..."

The furry creature's eyes widened, and it let out a piercing screech. The Doctor and Rose clamped their hands over their ears in disbelief. Rose tried to yell over the din.

"Do something!"

Almost as abruptly as it had started, the terrible noise stopped, and the little creature seemed to giggle before running off down the tunnel.

Rose gasped, and shook her head to stop the ringing in her ears. "Is that what's stopped the water supply?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Must be."

"Any idea what it is?"

"Nope."

"Any idea where it's from?"

"Nope."

"Any idea what it wants?"

"Nope."

"You're _useless_!"

"Shh, shh!" He gestured for quiet, listening intently. "D'you hear that?" He suddenly erupted into a massive grin and ran off in the same direction as the creature.

Rose couldn't hear anything, but ran after him anyway. She'd got used to following him blindly. She knew her mother would kill her for saying something like that, but Rose was starting to learn that sometimes it was best just to follow him. If nothing else, just to try to keep him out of trouble.

She couldn't see him now, he'd run off ahead and the light from the sonic screwdriver had almost vanished. But now she could hear what had piqued the Doctor's interest: running water. And then an enormous splash. Followed by a shocked yell.

"Rose!"

Rose's heart pounded in her chest as she ran towards his voice, and only just stopped in time. Hidden in the floor was an enormous round hole, either an old pipe or well or... something. It was at least ten meters in diameter, a large circular drop, filled with water. With the Doctor splashing around in the middle.

Rose just folded her arms and watched him panic. "Stupid time to take a dip."

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" he mocked her.

A muffled giggle caught Rose's attention, and she noticed to furry thing a little way away. Not taking her eyes off it in fear of losing the trail, she called to the Doctor. "Back in a minute!"

The Doctor grumbled to himself. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Rose ran after the furry creature; thankfully the tunnel it had chosen had a light source from somewhere on the surface, and she could see it clearly. It sat cheekily on something that looked remarkably like a metal lever. Rose thought fast, and suddenly had a brainwave. They used to get stray cats in her mum's flat all the time, and they were usually reluctant to leave. She'd become an expert at catching them. She slowly took off her jacket, shuddering as her bare arms met the cool, damp air in the tunnel. She held it open in front of her and inched towards the mischievous creature. In a sudden flash of movement, she managed to throw her jacket over the annoying ball of fur, getting the jacket muddy beyond repair in the process. She grinned and dived on top of it to keep it from running off. And accidentally pulled down the metal lever in the process. She heard a series of resounding clunks from deep in the tunnel.

"Uh oh."

"ROSE!!!"

----

Rose ran back towards the Doctor, and saw immediately that the water had drained from the hole, and the water supply had been rerouted back to the houses of London Town. But there was no sign of the Doctor.

"Doctor?"

"Down here."

Rose shuffled closer to the edge of the hole, and peered over the edge. And grinned.

"How do you suppose I get out now?"

----

_I wanted Rose to get one up on the Doctor for once!!! xx_


	3. Cavein in the Blackout

_Thank you for all your lovely comments xx_

_This chapter's longer than the previous two, I just got carried away xx_

Chapter 3: Cave-in in the Blackout

**Breaking News:**** The Blackout that hit Yorkshire last night caused panic and mayhem. The police attempted to prevent widespread looting and crime with extra visibility, but they couldn't stop the general chaos caused by the accompanying landslide. One child who was reported missing during the evening's events was safely returned to his family just before the cave-in. So far no explanation has been given for the two events, neither has a link between the two been confirmed.**

"This is no ordinary blackout," the Doctor said in a dark voice. He shook the torch in frustration, and tried the switch again. Nothing. He took out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the torch. Nothing. He frowned, his brow suddenly showing his concern.

"Definitely not an ordinary blackout."

He turned and headed out of the shed, making Rose and Mrs. Mathers stumble out of his way into the dark, murky garden. The Doctor strode across the lawn towards the gate, Rose and the worried woman at his heels.

"I promise you Mrs. Mathers, we will find your son," he said without turning to look at her.

Rose noticed a large tear fall from the worried mother's face in the moonlight. She squeezed her arm in what she hoped was a comforting fashion.

"Believe him, we'll bring Jake back. I promise."  
Mrs. Mathers nodded uncertainly and left them at the gate, watching them disappear into the gloomy night.

They headed down to the rocky cliff face. Rose shuddered. She usually loved these quaint little seaside villages, but with no streetlights, no cosy yellow glow from cottage windows, and clouds masking all the stars and the best of the moon, she found fear crawling into her heart. There was something strange about this place. Something... wrong. She gripped the Doctor's arm through his overcoat to halt her shudders.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the worried mother, Rose turned to the Doctor, and tried to speak in a confident tone.

"So, what d'you think's going on here? If something's stopping the torches _and_ the sonic screwdriver, there's gotta be something wrong."

"It's not just the lights. Or the screwdriver."

Rose swallowed nervously. "What d'you mean?"

He stopped abruptly, making Rose jump.

"Can you hear that?"

Rose strained her ears trying to hear what the Doctor was listening to. But, with his superior hearing, she knew might be out of her range.

"What? I don't hear anything. Just the ocean."  
"Exactly. It's not exactly late. So where are the gulls?"

Rose finally understood. Whatever was happening here, it was affecting the birds, too.

They made there way right to the cliff edge, where the Doctor peered out to sea, looking for anything that would give him a clue.

"There aren't many species who can manipulate electronics and animals without leaving some sort of trace. Now, I'm guessing because its affecting the sonic screwdriver, whatever it is must be using some sort of sonic signal that cancels it out. On the right frequency that could affect the birds, too, and... Rose?"

Rose wasn't listening. She was crouched on the ground examining... something. He knelt down to get a closer look. It was a red woollen glove. A child's glove. The Doctor noticed a narrow, rocky path down the cliff face, hidden among grass and sand. He tapped Rose on the arm and indicated the path.

"Down?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded, and grinned manically before heading down the cliff at top speed. Rose watched him in horror.

"Doctor, you're going to break your neck!" She started her more careful descent, and when she finally reached the bottom, the Doctor was already halfway up the beach. She ran as best she could across the sand to catch up with him.

She eventually reached him when he stopped to stare at the cliff face. She was out of breath, and it took a moment for her to realise what he was looking at. Then she saw it. The cave.

"Now, what d'you suppose..." the Doctor murmured, and headed towards the cave.

Rose groaned quietly. Blackout, creepy beach, now this? She shuddered, and followed him reluctantly.

The cave was damp and dingy, and not particularly roomy. Rose had to stoop past several pieces of loose rock along the way. She narrowly avoided grazing her knee on a sharp edge, when she heard a whimper to her left. Her head shot round in the direction of the faint noise. Had she imagined it?

She noticed a flicker of movement, and in the very limited moonlight she could make out the shape of a head. A child's head.

"Doctor!" _Doctor, Doctor, Doctor... _echoed all around her. In a flash the Doctor was beside her, lifting the small boy from his hiding place. He beamed at the child.

"Hello there! Jake, isn't it?"

Jake gave a weak little nod.

"Don't worry Jake, we'll get you back to your mum." He turned to Rose. "Good job, Rose. Can you get him back to Mrs. Mathers? I just want to check something."

Rose raised an eyebrow at his secretiveness, but she didn't say anything. She took Jake from the Doctor, and headed out of the cave, carrying the little boy on her hip.

It didn't take long for them to reach Jake's house, where Rose smiled at the tearful reunion as he ran to his mother's arms. This was the type of thing the Doctor travelled for, so why was he missing this? What could there possibly be to check in a cave?

Escaping from Mrs. Mathers' thanks and hugs, Rose made her way carefully back down the cliff to the beach, and over to the cave. She was getting concerned; no sign of the Doctor and she was sure the tide would turn soon. She ventured a little way into the cave, wrapping her arms round her stomach, partly to keep out the cold, and partly to avoid touching the grimy rock.

"Doctor?"

"Over here, Rose."

She made her way over towards the familiar voice, and frowned when she saw his silhouette crouched over something. It was glowing.

"What's that?"

He poked it with the dead screwdriver. "A Glagonian Palm Ring," he replied, as if that explained everything.

Rose sighed, and the Doctor sensed her exasperation. "It's a marker."

Rose glared at him. "Doctor, that doesn't help!"

"Shh!" he hissed with eyes wide with panic. Too late. A low rumble like thunder echoed around them.

"Out, now now now now now!" he pushed Rose towards the mouth of the cave, but too late. It started to cave in. Rose stumbled and fell, and the Doctor tripped over her. And then everything went black.

----

"Rose? Rose, can you hear me?"

Rose groaned at the voice, and forced her eyes open. Everything was blurry and dark, apart from a vibrant blue light near her head. She tried to bat it away, but her hand it skin and rock.

"Ow! Watch it."

Then she realised.

"Cave-in?"

"Mhmm," came the brief reply.

It took her a moment to get oriented, and when she realised where she was, she blushed. The rocks had fallen on top of them both, leaving them with only inches of room between them. The Doctor was trying to loosen the rocks near their heads to get a little air, leaving him so close that Rose could feel his breath on her cheek. She swallowed, closed her eyes, and tried to focus.

"You got the sonic screwdriver working again, then? How'd you do that?"

"Just happened," he stated simply, resting the screwdriver against the rock and looking down to face Rose, who glowed a strangely fascinating shade in the blue light.

"I think the tide must have changed. Glagonian Palm Rings send out a signal, a bit like a radio signal, that interferes with electronic connections. This one has been damaged, and was sending out a sonic frequency, too, which affected the screwdriver and the birds..."

Rose trembled a little. Was it just her or was he getting closer with each word?

"... once the tide turns it turns itself off. They're harmless information collectors, this one just got a bit stuck in a loop. It'll be fine now."

Rose nodded slightly, and bit her lip to stop her saying something she'd regret.

The Doctor frowned. "Are you alright, Rose?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

He smiled, sending a shiver down her spine. "You're heart's racing."

"Is it?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes, Rose. And you're all flushed."

"No I'm not."

The Doctor chuckled at her indignant tone. "Must be the enclosed space," he said, turning back to the rock, which was starting to crumble under the onslaught from the screwdriver.

"Yeah, that must be it," Rose rolled her eyes.

A few moments later, the Doctor had managed to make a gap in the rock large enough to get out. He squeezed through the gap and helped Rose wriggle free and to her feet. He grinned at her in the moonlight, his hair a dishevelled mess.

"That was fun."

"Fun?!"

He frowned at her, concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? You really are all... hot and red." He tried to feel her forehead, but she pushed him towards the mouth of the cave instead.

"Just walk, Doctor." She sighed quietly to herself, trying to cool herself down with a deep breath. "Just... walk."


End file.
